Child's Way/Volume 3/Issue 5/Text

[Page i]HEALD

CHILD’S WAY[edit]

SEPTEMBER — OCTOBER

dedicated to children of all ages

BAHÁ’Í YEAR 128 [Page ii]

CHILD’S WAY[edit]

Vol. 3, No. 5

Asma’ - ‘Izzat - Mashiyyat - ‘Ilm Names - Might - Will - Knowledge

1. The Birth of the Báb, by Phyllis Hall 2. Ios, the Shepherd Boy, from Star of the West, October 1922 4. Schools? by Jenabe Fazel, adapted from Star of the West, 1922 Riddles 5. Looking for God’s Messengers, puzzle, by Nella Gustafson 6. The Adventures of Tommy the Atom, Part IV, by Lillian Anderson 9. A New Language, from Mahmúd’s Diary II, 290. Informal translation by Marzieh Gail 10. The Stranger, from New Zealand’s Children’s Chapter 13. Ye are the leaves of one branch - based on a design by Molly King 14. The Tree, by Marjadene Konishi 16. Making Movies, by Mark Sadan 18. Children’s Page, by Wendy Suhm 20. The Red Ball, by Rosalyn Lichtblau reprinted from The Child’s Way 22. Book Review, by Beverly Sparks 23. Pictures from Leaves 24. To Live the Life, by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, from The Divine Art of Living, compiled by Mary M. Rabb 25. A Prayer, by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Dear Friends of Child’s Way:

We hope you have enjoyed an exceptionally good summer, and that your activities have been rewarding.

We are very fortunate, in this issue, to have had the collaboration of Mrs. Betty DeAraujo, who contributed all the major illustrations. We find that they are absolutely delightful (and would also like your comments on them) - and our budget, too, is happy about them. We want, of course, to thank Diane Paquet for all her wonderful work so far. We have enjoyed working with her, and will probably call on her many times in the future, although she no longer lives as close to us as she used to.

We have not been receiving any material that addresses itself to younger children. Would you like the Magazine to have fewer stories with more illustrations? Or are your older children enjoying it just as it is?

Sincerely,

The Editors

Advisory Board: David Lepard, Mark Rossman, Maxine Rossman, Helen Sousa, Donald Streets

General Editor: Helen Sousa

Subscription Service: Gloria Kohls

Art Illustrator and Consultant: Diane Paquet

Managing Editor: David Lepard

CHILD’S WAY is published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, September and November in Amherst, Massachusetts. Manuscripts, editorial correspondence and subscriptions should be addressed to: CHILD’S WAY Magazine, Box 551, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002.

Subscriptions: USA, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. Single copy, $ .75. [Page 1]

The Birth of the Báb[edit]

by Phyllis Hall

On October 20, 1819, the Báb, the Herald of the birth of this New Age, was born in Shíráz, a city in Persia noted for its ideal climate and beautiful roses.

Before His birth, two wise and learned teachers knew that the Promised One would soon appear. Some of the people listened and were waiting for Him when he grew old enough to declare Himself.

As He grew up, he was noted for great personal beauty, wisdom and charm. He was unfailing in His observance of prayers, and His life was filled with deeds of justice and mercy.

"Báb" means "Gate"! The Báb was the Gate to a new Kingdom -- the Kingdom of God on earth.

The Báb told the people that all the promises God’s Messengers had made in the past were soon to be fulfilled, that a new and wonderful era would soon start. [Page 2]

the Shepherd Boy[edit]

Part V[edit]

That which the King valued in all his domains was the Royal Gardens, which were vast and very beautiful with trees and flowers, lakes and fountains, and where every living thing was safe and protected, for it was forbidden therein to kill. And Ios so lived in the King’s heart, was so loved and trusted that he made him the guardian and custodian of this Garden of Life and Beauty, which was the highest honor in his Kingdom. Then Ios faithfully guarded his trust.

One day as Ios was walking in the beautiful Gardens, the King’s son, who had been jealous of him crept stealthily up behind him and swiftly shot an arrow from his bow and fled. It pierced the breast of a swan and the red blood flowed down the pure white breast into the water, and the swan swayed and drooped and died.

Ios stood aghast with grief and horror, gazing at the swan then at the bow lying in the path at his feet. As he stooped to pick it up a gardener approached and accused Ios of killing the swan. Then the man hastened to the Royal Presence and told what Ios had done. The King summoned him and said "What hast thou done?" Ios bowed his head in silence. "Speak," the King commanded, "Who has slain the swan?" But Ios would not speak. The King’s heart was breaking and he exclaimed, "Thy silence condemns thee. If thou dost not speak and justify thyself, I shall banish thee forever from my face." Ios lifted his eyes and looked long on the King’s face, then [Page 3]meekly bowed his head and went out from his presence and went alone into exile.

Time passed and the Prince’s conscience gave him no rest. He saw how his Father grieved for Ios, and at last he heard that Ios was dying of a broken heart in his lonely hut far away. Smitten with remorse he threw himself at his Father’s feet and confessed to having killed the swan. The King in great grief sprang up and cried out, "Take me to Ios." And when he came in haste to the hut he found him dying. He rushed to him, clasped him in his arms, kissed his brow, his lips, while his tears rained on his face. "Oh, Ios, my servant, my Beloved, thou must not leave me; I love thee, thou hast sacrificed thy life for my son." And Ios, lying in his arms, gazing upon his face exclaimed: "I die in Paradise upon Thy Breast, my King!"

These stories of Ios were told by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Lua Getzinger and transcribed from memory by May Maxwell in Star of the West, Volume 13 No. 7, of October 1st, 1922. [Page 4]

Schools ?[edit]

Many of you will be going back to school in September or October. A great Persian Bahá’í teacher, JENABE FAZEL, speaking of the teachings of BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, said this about schools:

Schools must be filled with light and joy, like Paradise, so that the children may run to them in the morning and be loath to leave them in the evening. But the children must also go through hard exercise and training so as to be able to meet any emergency in later life. Each child, boy and girl, must learn a profession or trade as well as literary and academic subjects... Children should study that for which they are fitted and not waste time in that for which they are not fitted.

RIDDLES???[edit]

1) What do you call the inhabitants of Lake Saint John (Lac Saint Jean), in the Province of Quebec, Canada?

2) Six men took six days to dig a hole. How many days will four men need to dig this hole?

ANSWERS: 1. Fish

2. No time at all; the first six men dug it. [Page 5]

Looking for God’s Messengers[edit]

Nella Gustafson

The names of some of the Prophets of God may be found below.

They may be read horizontally forward ---> or backward <--- , or vertically ↓. When you find them, circle them, and then mark them off on the list below.

B A H A U L L A H
A N G D T N O S A
B D N A H D D U B
L A C M O S E S R
M U H A M M A D A
F I R Q E N O A H
K R I S H N A P A
B T S U S E J L M
R E T S A O R O Z
Abraham Buddha Muhammad
Adam Christ Moses
Bab Jesus Noah
Bahá’u’lláh Krishna Zoroaster

[Page 6]

The Adventures of Tommy The Atom[edit]

Lillian ANDERSON

Continued

In our last chapter we found Tommy so very happy in the meadow where the deer and cows came to eat the sweet grass he helped to grow. We left him just as he was picked up by a cow! Let us see what happened next.

Never had Tommy been moved about so much! He was chewed and rolled; then he was churned and tossed. This was surely the busiest place he had ever known! In the animal kingdom constant motion is the rule. Here in this warm place Tommy learned there were many organs busily doing their work. All were in motion at one time or another. With so much going on he was sure there would be lots for him to do. He wanted to be busy and helpful.

Besides the pleasant warmth there was something else that gave Tommy great comfort. It was a very regular thump, thump. Everything seemed to move to this rhythm and Tommy caught on to it right away. All his work with the other atoms moved happily to this beat. Just as the sun had been so important to his life in the vegetable kingdom, the regular beat of the animal's heart would guide his actions in this kingdom. [Page 7]It wasn't meant that Tommy should spend much time here. There was another job waiting for him. He was carried away from the pasture to the farmer's barn that very evening. It was the next morning, when a boy came with a stool and pail, that he had his next experience. While the boy was milking the cow, Tommy was squirted right into the pail! He thought he had found a very nice home in the cow; but here he was, outside in a pail of milk!

"I hope I don't get spilled on the ground and have to start all over again", thought Tommy. But the boy carried the pail of milk, still warm from the cow, to another part of the barn. There he set it down in front of a very perky animal who slurped it all up in no time at all. He heard the boy say: "You are a little beauty, aren't you? I'll take such good care of you; you'll grow up to be the finest cow in all the county!"

Tommy knew he was to live in this pretty calf helping it to grow into a healthy cow. The calf was a happy little animal who jumped about for joy. When she was fed by the boy, she nuzzled him and raced around her pen to make him laugh. You could tell they were good friends. Tommy caught this excitement. He, too, felt a new spirit. He was really fond of both the boy and the calf.

Tommy settled down to do his job. There was so much action because the calf was growing fast. The milk she drank made her legs longer and filled her out all over. Soon she was eating grain and grass. The boy brought her the very best. He weighed her daily, then curried her until her coat was glossy. He named her Beauty. Tommy wondered if other calves had little boys to take care of them. [Page 8]Sometimes the man came to see Beauty. He praised the boy. Together they measured her, weighed her and wrote things in a book. They talked about taking her to the county fair. ‎ Maybe‎ she would win a prize. This made Tommy so proud he could hardly wait for the day. After all, hadn’t he been helping to make her so healthy and handsome? Tommy wanted Beauty to win a prize.

Tommy was getting much experience and the calf was looking better every day. When Fair Day arrived, she was led into a truck, the boy riding with her for the long trip to the Fair-Grounds. Because the boy Peter was with her, Beauty was not afraid. She trusted him. They were given a pen in which to wait until time for the judging. There she was washed, combed and brushed. Many people walked by to admire her.

Peter was nervous when he led Beauty to the judging ring. But she was very calm herself and did everything the boy wished. They had practiced it many times at home. Tommy was so proud of her. There were other calves being judged, but none was quite as pretty, nor did they behave as well. When the judging was over and the points were counted, it was on Beauty’s ear they placed the Blue Ribbon. Everyone applauded. Peter was so happy, his smiling face glowed.

To Be Continued. [Page 9]

A New Language?[edit]

One night in Paris ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had a dream of Bahá’u’lláh. He dreamed that the Blessed Beauty was speaking in a language different from all the tongues of the earth, and yet all about Him could understand the words. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to Himself: "How strange! Can this be the universal language, and have the Divine Tablets been translated into this new tongue?"

(Maḥmud’s Diary II, 290. Informal translation by Marzieh Gail)

Are you happy?[edit]

[Page 10]This is a portion of a story which is part of an ancient Sumerian manuscript unearthed near Siddi Barrani, in North Africa. I want you to take particular note of this story, as it tells in parable form how the Messengers of God come to the world from time to time to teach people to live good, useful lives. As soon as I read it, it reminded me of the life of the ‎ Báb‎. ‎ Maybe‎ you will see what I mean. It is entitled

THE STRANGER[edit]

Once upon a time, a little town straggled along the banks of a swiftly flowing river. It was a clean little town, filled with happy laughing people; for the lands around were rich, and nourished by the waters flowing from the mountains all the year round. The people worked hard and carried water to their fields and flocks as their fathers had done before them.

Then one day the people noticed something strange and frightening. The stream was smaller. Along the banks was a dark line where the water had been. And as the days passed, the river level fell lower and lower until there was not enough water for the sheep and cattle, and the fields and gardens were dry. The people were worried and afraid. [Page 11]While they talked and argued as to what to do, a strange youth of noble appearance and unusual grace came among them, and spoke with words of great power and beauty. He told them to leave their homes and the town by the rapidly drying river, and to arise and follow him across the mountains to a land of bounty, fed by the waters of a newly risen river. The people looked at him in amazement. Who was this Youth? Where did He come from? Could they believe Him? Some, more learned than their fellows, recalled age-old traditions which told of One Who would appear when the stream had ceased to flow, and would lead the people from the darkness of despair unto a Promised Land.

Gradually, in ones and twos, the Youth gathered followers about Him. The dignity of His bearing, the earnestness of His speech, the beauty of His countenance, convinced many that this was indeed the Promised One. He repeated His call for all to follow Him. The way would be rough, the journey long, privations many, but to those who believed steadfastly in Him would be granted strength, and they would drink of the River of Life itself.

The appointed hour arrived, and ere the heat of the day, the Youth and His companions turned their faces to the mountains and climbed away from the town. Many stayed. Some too old and feeble clung to the world they knew; others scorned the sacrifices demanded by the Youth, claiming that their own river was sufficient, that it would once more flow again as it had in the past. But for those [Page 12]who remained it was now too late. In growing despair they watched the ever shrinking trickle of water and cried aloud for deliverance.

Meanwhile, the Youth and His companions struggled onwards over the mountains. The dangers and discomforts of travelling began to be felt. Some grumbled and complained, and rose up against Him Who had led them from the security of the life they had known. He rebuked them as ones of little faith. Some remained steadfast; others turned back to the ways they knew.

But to those who remained was given strength, and soon the last ridge was behind them and the little party descended thankfully into a verdant valley through which flowed a stream sparkling in the sunlight. The Youth halted and gathered the people around Him. "O ye who have believed! I must shortly go on a journey. This land I leave to you in trust. Even as you believe in Me will it bear forth the fruits of the earth, and will the waters of life flow. Should you forget, and return to your old and carefree ways, the wrath of God will be upon you, and the waters of the stream of Life will shrink and cease, and despair will be upon the face of the land. Harken, and be of those who heed."

So saying, He departed. His people built another town along the banks of the river whose waters brought life to the village. And they remembered the Youth, and lived in His ways, and the land was rich and bountiful as He had promised. [Page 13]For Young Children

YE ARE THE LEAVES OF ONE BRANCH[edit]

HERE IS THE BRANCH. PLEASE ADD THE LEAVES: USE AS MANY KINDS AND COLORS AS YOU WISH.

Based on a design by Molly King [Page 14]

THE TREE[edit]

Marjadene Konishi

Mike was walking home from school very slowly. Usually he skipped on one foot or else walked with one foot on the curb and the other in the gutter. That was especially fun in the fall when the gutter was full of golden leaves that rattled and flew up at every step to mingle with the ones already whirling in the wind.

Mama didn't like for Mike to do that, though, because it made one foot and sock so dirty; and also, even though they lived in a small town where there wasn't much traffic, she still worried about cars. Mike often wondered how Mama could think of so many things to worry about, especially since so often they seemed to be fun things. But every now and then it really did ‎ turn out‎ that he got hurt doing something fun; which made him suspect somewhat uneasily that perhaps sometimes Mama understood things that he didn't!

At any rate, today Mike was plodding along slowly, straight down the middle of the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets, staring downward towards his feet, even frowning a little. He obviously had some kind of very serious problem. Then suddenly his face lighted and he began to walk faster, then to run. He had remembered Grandad. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of Grandad before? Mama and Daddy knew a lot; but Grandad knew just about everything, it seemed to Mike -- he would go ask Grandad.

Grandad had his own apartment in what had once been the family garage. It now had a big fireplace, a floor-to-ceiling window and a whole wall of books. Grandad had once been a Catholic Priest, before he found out about Bahá’u’lláh. He knew all about Jesus -- and Mike's problem was about Jesus. [Page 15]As soon as he reached home, he slammed his books down on the front porch bench, yelled "I'm home, Mom", and raced around to Grandad's "lair", as Grandad called it. He skidded to a screeching stop at Grandad's door -- because Mama had often explained all about "privacy" and "courtesy", and Mike knew that it was very important always to knock, and then wait for a "Come in".

Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened and there stood Grandad. In the afternoon Autumn sun, filtering in patches through the partly orange-leaved and partly bare maple trees beside the garage, Grandad's thick and snowy white hair (a heavy shock of which sometimes fell down over his eyes, especially when he got excited about telling a story!) looked like a misty light around his head. Grandad had a white beard, too, which went up and down when he talked, and always smelled nice because he kept it very clean with perfumed soap, and he didn't smoke.

He was tall and still muscular. He had been a farmer before becoming a priest, and after that he had kept himself strong by Yoga exercises. He was smiling, his blue eyes merry with his own joy at seeing Mike. Altogether, he looked so wonderful that Mike forgot his problem and just stood there staring, lost in happy awe.

Grandad swept him up and tossed him into the air, then carried him inside to one of the big chairs beside the fire (which was crackling away marvelously). He sat down there, Mike on one knee, and looked at him intently. His face became sober, he drew in a long, whistling breath and then said,

"Oh-h-o-o-o --there's something special today, isn't there?"

Mike slid off Grandad's lap and sat on the footstool facing Grandad, the way they always did when he wanted to discuss something man-to-man. Grandad waited silently.

It was hard to know exactly how to say it; and when the words finally tumbled out they were like water bursting through a dam, in spurts and rushes.

"Grandad, Mama said Bahá’ís don't celebrate Christmas; and the kids at school say that if you don't celebrate Jesus's birthday, then you aren't a Christian; and if you aren't a Christian then you don't really even believe in God or the Bible because the Bible says that Jesus is God's Son, and the Bible doesn't say anything at all about Bahá’u’lláh; and so I'm going to go to hell and you and Mama and Daddy and Jennie (Mike's little sister) too; and oh, Grandad, last year we were the only house on the block that didn't have any Christmas tree and Christmas trees are SO pretty how could anything be bad about a Christmas tree; and -- oh Grandad, I'm so all mixed up!"

At this point, Mike's man-to-man talk suddenly collapsed into a little boy struggling desperately to hold back tears and looking up pleadingly at his Grandad for help.

To Be Continued. [Page 16]

Making Movies[edit]

Mark Sadan

Did you ever wonder how a movie is made? When I was your age, I did.

I thought that movies were made only in Hollywood by big, famous, movie directors who sat in bright colored beach chairs and yelled "Lights, action, camera!" Making everything happen. Now that I make movies, I know that's not so. The director is only one person out of many who are very important to make a good movie. There is a cameraman who works the camera, a soundman who records the sound, a lightman who lights inside pictures, and the actors and actresses in front of the camera. There are also movies that you can make all by yourself by drawing pictures and filming them; that is called animation or cartoons, or you can just hold the camera and take the pictures yourself.

Every movie begins in your head. When you have a dream or remember or think of something you'd like to see, that's just like a movie, only it's in your mind, no one else can see it but you.

To make movies all by myself, I had to learn how to use a movie camera, how to put film in it and look through the viewer at what I wanted to be in the movie, then to push a button so that the film could go through the camera and record the picture on the film.

After I make a film, I send it to a laboratory where it is developed, so that I can see the pictures I took. When the film is put on a projector, a light goes through the film and makes the moving picture show up on a screen, so that others can see what I saw when I took the movie. [Page 17]Sometimes I will edit a movie - that means I may take out part of the picture, or I may take some pictures that were at the beginning and put them in the middle, or perhaps take some pictures that were at the end and put them at the beginning. Editing pictures is like playing with a toy train: if you take the back caboose and ' put it up front, and put the engine in the middle and the other train cars any place you want, the train is all together yet, but just in different order -- and you can do that with movie pictures too. After you cut the film apart with scissors, you stick it together again with a special film glue called film cement.

Something nice about movies is ‎ to‎ take pictures of someone small then when they grow bigger they can still see how they looked when they were little. It’s not really hard to make movies at home, and if someone you know well has a home movie camera, ask them to show you how to make movies, ‎ maybe‎ they will.

I like to make movies that make people happy. I just made a movie about many young people who are very happy in the Bahá’í Faith. The name of that movie is "It’s Just the Beginning".

If you ever see a television program called Sesame Street, you will see some of the other movies I have made, like the little films on the farm, the ‎ tomato‎, the skin, the tire, fishing, and where the garbage goes.

Making movies is hard work but lots of fun. I hope you have fun too if you ever make a movie. [Page 18]

CHILDREN’S PAGE[edit]

Wendy Suhm

Once upon a time, there was a monster who lived in a gooseberry tree. He wasn’t particularly adapted for living in a gooseberry tree since he was tremendously big, but oh, how he loved gooseberries! He would eat them one at a time, letting each one melt slowly in his mouth while his three clumsy feet were draped over the tree branches and two of his three clumsy hands were hanging on for dear life.

Day in and day out, this monster would eat gooseberries. He would never tire of such a delight. He would sit in the shade of the leaves and fall asleep chuckling at the soft sound of a melting gooseberry.

One day, a stolid man with a construction worker’s helmet on his head was standing near the monster’s gooseberry tree. He drew some lines on a piece of paper and then walked away. A week later he returned; this time with a plan in mind.

The monster was very annoyed to be awakened by a loud chopping noise and a shaking tree. Eventually this feeling of annoyance turned to terror... Poor Monster -- they were chopping down his tree! Gooseberries were flying everywhere and the tree was rapidly falling to the ground. [Page 19]That evening, the man with the helmet peeled the dejected monster off the fallen tree. “Sorry, Monster,” he said, “but progress must go on. We have a highway to build.” With that, he put the tree in a big black truck and drove away.

The monster didn’t know what to do. His whole life had been centered around that gooseberry tree and now gooseberry trees were extinct! Only the monster’s love had sustained this last one.

He was so unhappy that he wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear. Well, that’s just what the monster did. After many years, the hole closed up and so you’ll never find a monster or a hole quite the same.

So every time you draw a circle, draw it in honor of the monster that isn’t; of the hole that isn’t; and be thankful you are. [Page 20]

THE RED BALL[edit]

Rosalyn Lichtblau

Waggles was a lovable, little brown puppy. He was so happy to be alive that he never stopped playing except to eat and sleep. Can you guess why he was called Waggles?

A kind neighbor gave him a shiny, red ball to play with. His mistress, Mrs. Smith, just left it on the floor all the time because he never grew tired of rolling it, bouncing it, chewing on it, and bringing it to anyone who would throw it for him.

One day a lady came with her little boy, Jay. He understood about playing ball better than any grownup! He never grew tired either. The two of them made a real team!

When Jay left with his mother, Waggles came to the door to see him off. Mrs. Smith said "goodbye" and turned around to see Waggles sniffing around in a very peculiar way. ‎ Where‎ was the shiny, red ball?

Mrs. Smith and Waggles looked and looked, but it never turned up. Could Jay have taken it by accident?

Several days went by and Jay didn't come to call. Waggles just drooped around and didn't even want his food. Mrs. Smith bought a lovely ball. It had three colors in a wavy design. But the little puppy just sniffed at it and put his head down on his paws. He looked so mournful! [Page 21]Mrs. Smith thought many times of calling her friend, but she hadn't seen Jay take the red ball. It would be dreadful to say he did and pretty embarrassing for everyone. What to do?

Knock, knock! Someone at the door -- it was Jay! Can you guess what he had in his hand? If you had seen Waggles you would be sure! His little, old tail nearly wagged him off his feet. It's hard to say which made him happier -- the sight of his friend, Jay, or the shiny, red ball in his hand.

As he jumped and ran around his friend, he barked so that Mrs. Smith could hardly hear what the boy was saying, but she heard enough to make her smile.

" ...sorry, Mrs. Smith... hear he was sick... didn't know a dog could care so much... like a person... took the ball to play with... didn't mean to hurt Waggles... love him... shouldn't take things... even from animals... Oh, Waggles! Look how happy he is!" [Page 22]

BOOK REVIEW[edit]

BEVERLY SPARKS

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain.

Bahá’u’lláh told mankind to eliminate prejudice and to love one another. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a fine example of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings.

As one reads this great adventure, he will find the love, service, and sacrifice Huck over and over again renders to Jim, the "run-away slave".

Chapters sixteen and thirty-one are stirring examples of Huck’s love for Jim. In these chapters we see Huck torn between convention, childhood training, and his innate love for Jim, which ultimately dominates Huck’s decisions. [Page 23]

PICTURES FROM LEAVES[edit]

It’s always fun to pick bouquets of beautiful, multicolored leaves in the fall. You can save some of these leaves by pressing them for several hours under something flat and heavy, so that they will dry without curling; then put a little glue on the back of a leaf, and glue it on a sheet of paper or in a notebook. With crayons, draw a face, arms and legs. You can make people, animals, or imaginary beings. Give your picture a name - and try, if you can, to write the name of the tree from which the leaf came. [Page 24]

TO LIVE THE LIFE[edit]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

To be no cause of grief to anyone.

To be kind to all people and to love them with a pure spirit.

Should opposition or injury happen to us, to bear it, to be as kind as ever we can be, and through all, to love the people. Should calamity exist in the greatest degree, to rejoice, for these things are the gifts and favors of God.

To be silent concerning the faults of others, to pray for them, and help them, through kindness, to ‎ correct‎ their faults.

To look always at the good and not at the bad. If a man has ten good qualities and one bad one, look at the ten and forget the one. And if a man has ten bad qualities and one good one, to look at the one and forget the ten.

Never to allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another, even though that other be our enemy.

To do all of our deeds in kindness.

To cut our hearts from ourselves and from the world.

To be humble. To be servants of each other, and to know that we are less than anyone else.

To be as one soul in many bodies; for the more we love each other, the nearer we shall be to God; but to know that our love, our unity, our obedience must not be by confession, but of reality.

To act with cautiousness and wisdom. To be truthful. To be hospitable. To be reverent.

To be a cause of healing for every sick one, a comforter for every sorrowful one, a pleasant water for every thirsty one, a heavenly table for every hungry one, a star to every horizon, a light for every lamp, a herald to every one who yearns for the Kingdom of God.

24 [Page 25]

A CHILD’S PRAYER[edit]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O unequalled LORD! For this helpless child be a Protector. For this weak and sinful one be kind and forgiving!

O CREATOR! Although we are but waving grass -- still we are of Thy Garden.

Though we are but young trees, bare of leaves and blossoms, still we are of Thy Orchard!

Therefore, nourish this grass with the rain of Thy Bounty. Refresh and vivify these young, languishing trees with the breeze of Thy Spiritual Springtime!

AWAKEN US! ENLIGHTEN US! SUSTAIN US! GIVE US ETERNAL LIFE! ACCEPT US INTO THY KINGDOM! [Page 26]--BLANK--